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Three feelings sum up the Arts Sector’s response to COVID–19. Firstly, a feeling of doom and nothing seeming to work. Secondly, a sense of paralysis, coupled with a curiosity about what might work. Thirdly, there’s an optimism about the future, and a fierce determination to survive and thrive in this trying time.
I don’t think these feelings are confined to the Arts Sector, of course, and these feelings alternate with each other even over a single day. Arts organisations are faring better than individual artists. Jobs have some protection, but freelance work sadly does not. Individual artists that have very low incomes, in any case, have lost al

The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods and for Amy Sergison, it’s part of her family history. She revisited the area to explore its evolution.
The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods having been around in one way or another since the 12th century. In my memory, this is where my nana lived and my Dad grew up.
I have very fond memories of visiting my nana on Basin Street. We would know we were close in the car, even if our eyes were closed because we could smell the hops from Guinness. I remember Greta’s shop (sadly gone today), where the floor sparkled like diamonds and jars filled with sugar barley stood tall on top of

Katie Kavanagh, a Dublin 8 based photographer, had an idea. As we’re generally stuck indoors due to COVID-19 restrictions, she’d take portrait shots of her neighbours at their doors. The idea grew legs and she’s linked up with Purple House Cancer Support Centre for the project, ‘Doors Closed, Hearts Open‘. Their aim is to create a gallery of 200,000 Doortraits to support the 200,000 people living with Cancer in Ireland

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Elisa Capitanio is a UX Designer at social media intelligence agency Storyful, and also runs her own independent abstract art business.
She came to Ireland nine years ago completely by chance. Living in Italy, she longed for a change of pace, so she left her home of Bergamo and moved to London. Dublin came calling with an opportunity for Elisa to try her hand at being a web designer, so she packed her bags for a second time and moved country again. Since then, Ireland has become her permanent home and has inspired her art.
She chose Dublin for its fast market and inspiring tech community.
Of working in Dublin’s tech industry, Elisa said:

Traffic: we all hate it. But we’re stuck with – and in – it. Or are we?
A new initiative from Dublin City Council (DCC) and delivery firm UPS is aiming to reduce the number of vehicles on the city’s roads. It uses what UPS call an “Eco Hub” container on Wolfe Tone Street. The Eco Hub acts as a small distribution hub from which deliveries can be made by bike or on foot.
“It came about when we were approached by UPS, who had piloted the same project in London, Paris and Hamburg,” explains Colm Ennis, Senior Executive Engineer with DCC. “We are developing a strategy for city centre goods deliveries and are trying to reduce

In recent years, Dublin has lost some of its most important creative spaces to a building boom that’s reminiscent of the Celtic Tiger era.
Block T in Smithfield and South Studios near Cork Street were both closed down in 2016 with a significant loss of square footage for artists, photographers, designers and writers. In their place, however, a new generation of co-working spaces – aimed specifically at servicing Dublin’s creative communities – is coming into being.
Although they have become abundant in many European capitals in the last few years, co-working spaces are a relatively new arrival in the Dublin property market. In the past 12 months the number

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Following a recent major agreement between the Government and the Hague based Permanent Court of Arbitration there is a significant opportunity for Dublin to become a centre for dispute resolution.
Dublin has a huge amount to offer as an international arbitration venue, including a highly respected legal system. Following the UK’s departure from the EU, Ireland will also be the only fully common-law, English speaking country in the EU. Currently cities including Paris, Zurich and Stockholm have been seen as seats for arbitration, however newer places, including Dublin could now attract high profile cases. This has the potential to be a major boost to the econ

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in many businesses facing an uncertain future, rethinking how they will make money. Many entrepreneurs have found a silver lining from their new circumstances in being given an unexpected opportunity to work on sustainable and ethical ideas as they reinvent their business.
Making your start-up or existing business sustainable or ethical is also a smart, future-proof option. Customers are now much more informed and aware of the environmental impact of their purchases. A more sustainable product or service will create a positive brand image and reputation that will impact the bottom line of many businesses.

As the impact of the COVID–19 outbreak intensifies, businesses across Dublin are finding ways to diversify to survive the crisis and retain their staff. The virus is hitting our economy hard, and it’s creating a situation that’s well beyond the experience of most business owners. However, in these difficult times, many businesses have managed, with the support of their Local Enterprise Office, to adapt and shift to new products and services quickly.
UNIFORMAL
Uniformal, an established uniform and corporate wear provider based in South Dublin, have been supplying Irish businesses with bespoke and premium ready-to-wear uniform solutions and workwear fo

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With a huge urban campus, state-of-the-art facilities, and the largest student body of any university in Ireland, University College Dublin welcomes hundreds of new international students every year.
UCD prides itself on being Ireland’s global university and has international campuses and strong links to academic institutions in locations as far-flung as Beijing and Malaysia. They have a portfolio of over 500 institutional partnerships in over 90 countries, allowing students and staff to engage in exchange programmes for research, studies, internships, field trips and volunteering opportunities. Around 1,000 students avail of these opportunities every year, a

We sat down with Professor Philip Nolan, president of Maynooth University, to discuss his plans for the university, which lies on the periphery of Dublin. His role focuses on creating a strategy and implementing this to grow and develop the university.
Maynooth University is home to over 1,000 staff and 13,000 students, and more than 1,200 of these are international students hailing from over 60 countries. The university offers a wide range of excellent academic programmes which are delivered by leading researchers in various fields, and students are challenged and encouraged to reach their full potential in this top-class learning environment.
C

Romina Dashghachian is 22. She’s from Germany (her parents are from Iran), and she’s studying for a Master’s in Public Relations at Dublin City University (DCU). Romina’s hometown is Munich, and she reckons that city and Dublin have a lot in common. “Munich has a community feel, so you never feel like you’re in a giant anonymous city. And that’s why I like Dublin as well. When you’re here, you don’t feel like you’re just disappearing in the crowds.”
But how did she come to choose Dublin in the first place? “I was in Dublin two years ago with a friend of mine just for a holiday trip, and we fell

City neighbourhoods

Dublin is a city bisected by the River Liffey. People tend to divide it into two key areas: the north side – traditionally home to a working class resident – and the south side, home to the middle and upper classes. That distinction is being quickly eroded, however, as a number of neighbourhoods in the north, such as Smithfield, Stoneybatter and Clontarf become gentrified.

The core of the inner city is contained within two canals: the Royal to the north and the Grand to the south. Over 550,000 people live in these 115 square kilometres. Certain areas are still referred to by their old postal district numbers (like Dublin 8 and Dublin 4). The following areas are just a sample of popular places to live within the embrace of the canals:

IFSC and Docklands

The Irish Financial Services Centre (IFSC) is the waterfront area established around the Custom House Docks by the government in 1987 in order to centralise a range of internationally traded financial services including banking, fund management and insurance. Over time, the Docklands grew up as an expansion of the IFSC, extending on both north and south sides of the River Liffey and as far east as the 3Arena. Over 500 firms now operate within this area, including more than half the world’s top 50 banks and top 20 insurance companies. Recent development in this area has seen the replacement of the older industrial and dockside facilities with a variety of stylish new apartments blocks, providing highly convenient, if rather pricey, city-centre accommodation.

Smithfield

Back in the 17th century, Smithfield was established as a marketplace. Today, with its own stop on the Luas Red Line, a host of unique and independent establishments like the Light House Cinema, Token (an arcade/bar/restaurant) and the Jameson Distillery, it’s no surprise that accommodation in this area is in high demand by young professionals seeking a vibrant and well-connected place to live.

Smithfield Square

Stoneybatter

In Dublin’s north-west inner city, Stoneybatter is an area that has undergone somewhat of a renaissance, rising exponentially in popularity over the last number of years. Built up around Manor Street, it has kept its village vibe with a weekly farmers’ market, while seeing an increase in great restaurants, craft pubs and cafés – making it an attractive place for first-time buyers who are keen to ride a wave of popularity that doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Phibsboro

Similar to Stoneybatter, Phibsboro has changed over recent decades to an up-and-coming, desirable north-side neighbourhood. Perhaps its biggest claim to fame is its beloved soccer team, Bohemians, which hails Dalymount Park as its home ground; while a short walk to the neighbouring suburb of Glasnevin will bring you to the National Botanic Gardens.

The Liberties

Billed as where old Dublin meets new Dublin, the Liberties is a beloved, historic area at the heart of the city. Home to attractions as diverse as the famous Guinness Storehouse, popular entertainment venue, Vicar Street and the spectacular John’s Lane Church, complete with Harry Clarke stained glass, it’s no wonder that over 23,000 residents also live here.

The Liberties area of Dublin

Portobello

Living in Portobello will place you right in the thick of the action; it’s a five-minute walk from Camden Street, one of the south side’s main thoroughfares. Endlessly popular, Portobello houses cultural centres like the Irish Jewish Museum and pubs and restaurants like the Bernard Shaw and Brother Hubbard – as well as everything else the city has to offer, thanks to the Luas Green Line stop at Harcourt Street.

Outside of the canal core of the city, there are many popular neighbourhoods, including Ranelagh, Rathmines, Rathgar, Islandbridge, Ballsbridge and Sandymount to the south; and Glasnevin, Drumcondra, Clontarf and Cabra to the north. A little further out in both directions, but also popular, are Dún Laoghaire, Portmarnock and Malahide on the coast and Ashtown and Dundrum inland.

So, where can I live?

That really depends on what you can afford. Dublin property prices across letting and sales are at an all-time high, so you may need to consider the wider county – or possibly adjoining counties. Plenty of people working in Dublin city live outside the capital, commuting by bus, train or car each day from bordering counties of Wicklow, Meath and Kildare. This may make more sense for you if you have children; whereas single people may prefer the hustle and bustle of living in apartments in areas of the city centre like Grand Canal Dock, Smithfield or Ringsend.

Transport routes are also a big factor. It makes the most sense to work out where you can live in relation to your job so that your commute is as easy as possible. For example, there would be no point working in the airport, in north county Dublin, while living in the southern suburb of Carrickmines; however, a direct bus route runs to the airport through both Drumcondra and Phibsboro, which would make them good choices.

There are a number of particularly popular neighbourhoods on either side of the city that sit within the sweet spot: close enough to walk to the centre, while far enough to feel relaxed; connected by numerous public transport routes, but often with ample car parking space; well serviced by schools, shops, restaurants, gyms and healthcare centres, without feeling over-crowded. Accommodation in these areas comes at a price and can be trickier to find – but it’s always worth exploring.

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Dublin city stretches across 115km², with the county itself covering 921km². While it’s not the biggest area, as Ireland’s capital city, it has a lot going on – which is why it’s split into four local authorities: Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Dublin-born icon, Oscar Wilde wrote, "It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious!" If there's one thing that's central to Dubliners, it's the dry wit you'll find here; the tongue-in-cheek, good-hearted humour that makes teasing just as much a sign of the welcome as it is part of the vernacular. The biggest draw to Dublin has to be its people. They’re the reason the city was recently voted in the top 10 friendliest cities in the world; why it has the greatest nightlife; why its art and culture is some of the most influential and vibrant to be found anywhere.

Dublin’s legacy stretches back over a millennium of history, change and development. The first known settlement here was Áth Cliath, which took its name from a major ford across the tidal River Liffey. Around the sixth century, a monastery named Duiblinn (Irish for ‘blackpool’) was founded here, where Vikings eventually arrived.
After the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1170, Dublin became the capital of the English Lordship of Ireland and was populated extensively with settlers from England and Wales.
The early 16th century was a turbulent time when King Henry VIII’s split with the church led to the closure of monasteries and the destruction of religious institutions with